Amanda Bjerkan Hennessy

Amanda is a working mom with two children and a husband she adores. She loves chocolate, tacos, Disney, crafting, “Hamilton,” and running. Amanda currently works in Leadership Development for a Fortune 100 company and launched a party planning support business in 2019. Amanda moved from her hometown near Chicago, Illinois, to Orlando, Florida in 2001 after getting a Master’s degree in Communication and a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Illinois. She serendipitously met her husband the following year. Her children are 8 and 6 years old, and they bring her much joy, laughter, and learning each and every day. In 2019, Amanda launched her own business, Dreaming Up Parties, to help busy people throw their own fabulous parties. She saves clients time and energy by giving them fun ideas and streamlining the whole party planning process. Why did she decide to write a children's’ book about “Hamilton”? She has loved the show and soundtrack since the moment she first saw it in early 2019. Her children began to enjoy the songs too, but they had a LOT of questions (it’s a bit advanced for the 5-10 year-old group). Their questions inspired her to write "A Kids' Guide to Hamilton the Musical" to make the show, music, and stories more accessible to elementary-age children, and to share fun, historical facts about the real-life characters from the show. * Currently reading: How to Be an Antiracist * Recently finished reading: Just Mercy, Whistling Vivaldi * Currently watching: Schitt’s Creek, Never Have I Ever * Consistently listening to: Experts on Expert podcast, Hamilton soundtrack